This invention relates to a baggage handling device, particularly but not exclusively, for use at Airports.
Automation of baggage handing, whilst desirable, is difficult to achieve because of the diversity of shapes, sizes, and nature of the "baggage" involved, and consequently has tended to remain a predominantly manual operation.
A vacuum gripping head is suitable for the majority of types of baggage that can ordinarily be expected to be handled, such as hard or soft skin cases, cartons, boxes etc., that have a planar area that can be engaged by the head. However, occasionally, misaligned baggage can have a disposition making it difficult if not impossible to apply the suction foot, and there is a minority of baggage to be handled of a non-standard shape not displaying a planar face, e.g. golf bags, and which a suction head cannot be applied in which case the operator would deploy and use the mechanical lifting device.